Irish Inspirations

Listen to this classical music special that does double duty and looks at music from Ireland, with an emphasis on women composers and performers, as well as music with female themes.


Edu Grande/Unsplash

Irish Inspirations: Celebrating Women in Irish Music

Where we turn up the voices of Black artists in the world of classical music, with host Vernon Neal.

Rhapsody in Black - March  9, 2023

Vernon Neal is the host of the podcast ‘Rhapsody in Black,’ where we turn up the voices of Black artists in the world of classical music.


Host/Producer

Vernon Neal

Jazz pianist and harpist Alice Coltrane studied classical and gospel early on. Jazz, on the other hand, helped her develop her own creativity, improvisation and expression. Find out more in the latest episode of the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast. 


Chuck Stewart

Alice Coltrane uses music to heal and find peace

New Classical Tracks - Lara St. John (Extended)

New Classical Tracks - Lara St. John

Julie Amacher's desire to introduce others to great music is what led her to radio. She began her professional broadcast career at a station in Sun Prairie, Wis. She went from rock 'n' roll to the Rocky Mountains, where she found her niche in public radio at KUNC in Greeley, Colo. Julie spent 13 years at KUNC, where she managed the announcers and their eclectic music format. During that time, she earned four national awards for best announcer. She joined Minnesota Public Radio in 1997 as an on-air host and also produces New Classical Tracks, a weekly podcast critiquing a new release each week. It airs locally at 7:15 a.m. Wednesdays and 5:15 p.m. Fridays.


Julie Amacher

In this week’s New Classical Tracks, violinist Lara St. John continues her fight for women in the world of classical music with her latest recording, ‘♀she/her/hers.’ 


Andrew Ousley (Unison Media)

Violinist Lara St. John continues her fight for women

Friday Favorites- 03102023

Ana Freeberg is a classical digital intern for YourClassical MPR. She is a recent graduate of St. Olaf College, where she majored in studio arts and art history. She played clarinet through college and enjoyed attending many choral performances at St. Olaf, where she also worked on library archive and video-game projects.


Ana Freeberg

On this episode of Friday Favorites, for March 10, host Steve Staruch plays music to celebrate daylight saving time, rings in spring with a request for Elena Kats-Chernin’s Wild Swans and is joined by Project DJ co-host Ana Freeberg.


Provided

Friday Favorites: Daylight saving time, swans and Project DJ co-host Ana Freeberg

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Joe Goetz

March 8 is International Women's Day, and YourClassical MPR and YourClassical Radio are celebrating with an entire day devoted to women in classical music. Every piece on the day's playlist prominently features a woman composer, conductor or soloist.


Rosalie O'Connor

Celebrate International Women's Day with classical music icons and stars

Listen to the Story

Michel Martin

Ava Norgrove

NASA's Sonification Project is a collaborative effort to turn data collected from the outer reaches of the universe into sounds. Their album, ‘Universal Harmonies,’ is out March 10.


NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute

NASA puts the sounds of the universe into a new album

Oscars Deep Dive: Current Nominees

Lynne has been at this radio thing since 1984 when she fell into an historic job at KFAC AM and FM, the commercial classical station in Los Angeles.  She was the first woman staff announcer in the station's history, and it was such big news back then, it made the LA newspapers and national radio publications.  She is thrilled women in radio is no longer newsworthy.


Lynne Warfel

Join Saturday Cinema host Lynne Warfel as she continues her Oscars deep dive, focusing on winners from the 2010s and some current nominees including The Fabelmans and All Quiet on the Western Front. Randy Haberkamp, executive vice president of the Library Archives and Sci Tech for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is back to talk all things cinema. 


A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images

Tom Huizenga

On her new album, Dark with Excessive Bright, the vibrant, young composer coaxes unusual sounds from a symphony orchestra. 


Caroline Tompkins

Caroline Tompkins/courtesy of the artist

Missy Mazzoli is a symphonic composer with a photographer's eye

Friday Favorites- 03062023

Ally Thompson is a classical digital intern for YourClassical MPR. She attends the University of Minnesota, where she is majoring in journalism. She played saxophone and clarinet in band, attends orchestra concerts regularly and has listened to YourClassical MPR since she was young. She studies to classical music, which she says helps her concentrate. 


Ally Thompson

On this episode of Friday Favorites, for Mar. 3, 2023, host Steve Staruch plays Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘Spring,’ talks about a mysterious work by Kurt Atterberg and is joined by Project DJ co-host Ally Thompson.


James Napoli/APM

Friday Favorites: Vivaldi's 'Spring,' Atterberg's mysterious piece and Project DJ co-host Ally Thompson

Felix Contreras

The composer and saxophonist, who died in March 2023, won a dozen Grammy Awards and recorded with everyone from Miles Davis to Joni Mitchell.


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